Closing the Loop: Assessing SLOs for Quantitative and Qualitative Models in Business Courses

Klemic, George G.; Lovero, Eveann

Assessment Update, v23 n1 p9-10 Jan-Feb 2011

The authors are members of the Department of Business Administration, one of seven undergraduate departments in the College of Business (COB) at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. As part of both the COB's assessment plan and the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) of their regional accreditor, the authors assessed student learning outcomes (SLOs) that involve using quantitative and qualitative data and technological tools to retrieve, analyze, evaluate, and communicate information. The plan involved assessment at entry to the program and exit from the program, measuring the "value added." In this article, the authors describe a project that was a first attempt to assess distinctive baccalaureate characteristics defined by the faculty. The authors developed standards and applied them to student papers and portfolios. Assessment helped them identify and inform faculty of their successes and shortcomings, offering a means to adjust their teaching and courses to improve student learning. (Contains 1 table.)